U.S. networks leaning on unscripted will have a dramatic ripple effect in Canada as private TV networks get set to shop fall schedules to local advertisers that largely mirror those south of the border.
“We were probably bidding a bit more on unscripted content than we might have in other years. And that certainly added a complexity to what is already a very hectic and busy week for Canadian buyers,” Troy Reeb, executive vp of broadcast networks at Corus Entertainment, toldReeb oversees the Global Television network and cable channels like local versions of Food Network and HGTV in Canada.
But Plan B — contingent on a much longer U.S. writers walkout and an uncertain return to production for American scripted shows currently without scripts — would see Reeb and his team schedule more reality series, especially competition and game shows, for the fall. “We will have less scripted than we would normally have in the fall,” Pat DiVittorio, Bell Media vp of programming, CTV and Specialty, told, in addition to singing competition series and game shows also underpinning the upcoming fall schedule.
Beyond the immediate loss of late night talk shows and the Hollywood labor unrest derailing and delaying a raft of U.S. series that shoot mostly in Vancouver and Toronto, the impact of the WGA strike won’t be felt until September when Canadian TV schedules for the fall begin rolling out. Until then, private Canadian broadcasters will continue thinking outside the box to nail down content that returns big audiences and ad sales into 2024.
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